Abstract
The aims of the study were to investigate the effects of a bicultural skill-based literacy intervention programme in Taiwan and to explore a teacher's experiences in the programme that emphasised indigenous children's development of phonetic symbols and identity with Rukai culture. Past studies have revealed that indigenous children are often at risk of low literacy achievements. This programme was developed based on research on multiple literacies (Gee, 2003), culturally relevant pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1995), and the balanced approach to teaching literacy (Pressley, 2006). Parents were invited to give their consent to their children's participation in this study. 25 children with parental consent were recruited. 14 of them agreed to participate in the intervention programme, while 11 children were the control group. In this mixed-methods case study, data of classroom observation, phonetic symbol tests, and teacher's interviews were collected. In addition to parental consent, we obtained oral assent from all participating children. All names were pseudonyms. Children were allowed to withdraw from the study at any time. The results show that children who attended this programme scored significantly higher on sounding out and recognising phonetic symbols than those who did not. In terms of the teacher's experiences, she encountered cultural discrepancy, and it may have stemmed from the teacher's limited knowledge about Rukai culture, the children's limited knowledge of Chinese vocabulary related to their culture, and the differences in learning styles between indigenous and mainstream children. The findings will provide insight into the design of early literacy intervention programme for minority children.